Home New Uses for Old Things at Home 42 Clever Ways to Repurpose Old Things in Your House Discover ways to repurpose items you may have just tossed in a landfill. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 9, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Mark Lund Who doesn't love to repurpose old things when it saves money or helps the planet? You can reuse single-use items like toilet paper rolls to reduce your carbon footprint. But you can also put standard household items (like colanders and picture frames) to work in new ways. Almost every item has upcycling potential, so you won't need to buy a brand-new product for every minor inconvenience. Out of hundreds of clever ideas, these are some favorite new uses for old things. These particular upcycling hacks solve several household problems and use things like rubber bands in dynamic ways. So put them to the test around the house, and you'll be amazed by what a little ingenuity can do. 01 of 42 Tissue Box as a Plastic Bag Holder Beatriz da Costa Forget unruly plastic bags that seemingly regenerate under your sink. An empty tissue box keeps them neatly corralled and ready for use. 02 of 42 Picture Frame as a Vanity Tray Sang An Repurpose an old frame for a vanity tray that’s pretty as a picture. Place a piece of colored paper or fabric inside as a finishing touch. 03 of 42 Towel Rod as a Cleaning Supply Holder Aya Brackett Assemble a spray-cleaner arsenal by installing a rod in the closet or underneath the sink and then hooking the bottles onto it by their triggers. 04 of 42 Shower Hooks as Hanging Storage Burcu Avsar Shower-curtain hooks provide sturdy storage for heavier items, like purses. 05 of 42 Napkin Holder as a Bill Arranger Mark Lund Organize bills―arranged in the order in which they need to be paid off―in an unused napkin holder. 06 of 42 Drink Carrier as a Condiment Kit Beatriz da Costa Cart condiments to a backyard barbecue. Slot flatware, ketchup and mustard in the compartments for easy transport. 07 of 42 Colander as an Ice Bucket Aya Brackett At a party, stash ice in a colander set on top of a bucket or a bowl. Water will drain out, and guests will get only the solid stuff. 08 of 42 Chalk as a Moisture Absorber Monica Buck Tie up a few pieces of chalk in cheesecloth and store them with your good silver flatware or jewelry to slow any tarnishing. 09 of 42 Wine Box as Shoe Storage Antonis Achilleos Warehouse your shoes in an empty wine-bottle carton wrapped in pretty paper. 10 of 42 Shower Cap as a Shoe Travel Bag Thayer Allyson Gowdy A giveaway shower cap becomes the perfect wrapper for shoes when traveling, preventing them from dirtying clothes packed in your suitcase. 11 of 42 Plastic Bag as a Paintbrush Saver Kana Okada A supermarket bag, tightly secured with a rubber band, will keep a brush (or roller) moist for a day or two in between painting sessions: the end of dried-out bristles. 12 of 42 Aluminum Foil as a Paint Tool Quentin Bacon No more oops! moments when painting when you cover doorknobs and hardware with aluminum foil. 13 of 42 Binder Clip as a Money Holder Charles Maraia A binder clip serves as a money holder that you can clamp to your waistband for a purse-free morning walk. 14 of 42 Rubber Bands as a Glass Holder Kathryn Barnard Rubber bands give little fingers a better grip on a chilly or slippery glass. 15 of 42 Rubber Bands to Keep Clothes on the Hanger Quentin Bacon No more worries about camisoles, sundresses, and other slippery garments slipping off hangers when you wrap the ends with rubber bands. 16 of 42 Ketchup Bottle as a Pancake Batter Dispenser Mark Lund Make no-mess pancakes with the help of a ketchup bottle: Pour in batter, then squeeze out precise portions. 17 of 42 Plastic Easter Eggs as Snack Containers James Baigrie Give Easter eggs a year-round use (and save on resealable bags) by filling them with snacks like crackers or Cheerios. 18 of 42 Plastic Bag as a Cookbook Saver Kana Okada Avoid batter splatters and flour dustings on a cookbook by wrapping a plastic bag around everything but the page you’re using. 19 of 42 Mouse Pad as a Trivet Sang An Save a countertop with an old mouse pad turned trivet. (Make sure it has a nonplastic coating.) 20 of 42 Window Decals as Drink Markers Anna Williams Decorate (and distinguish) wine or water glasses at your next get-together with removable window decals. Courtesy of reader Linda Winterhoff of Williamsburg, Virginia 21 of 42 Popcorn as Eco-Friendly Packing Formula Z/S Why pack with Styrofoam peanuts when you can pack with popcorn (plain and air-popped)? No air popper? Be sure to cover the item with a plastic bag. 22 of 42 Cardboard Coaster as a Gift Tag Thayer Allyson Gowdy Pick up interesting cardboard coasters at restaurants and bars you visit along your travels. Punch a hole near the edge, thread some ribbon through, and voilà: homemade gift tag. 23 of 42 Twister Mat as a Tablecloth James Baigrie Protect the dinner table during a kid’s party, so right-hand-red Kool-Aid spills and left-hand-blueberry pie blobs don’t become permanent features. 24 of 42 Paint Chips as Place Cards Aya Brackett Fold the strips in half and prop them up as place cards, writing each person's name on a shade that suggests their best qualities (like "Inner Glow" or "Delicate Peach"). 25 of 42 Play-Doh as a Sparkler Holder Aya Brackett Stick a sparkler in Play-Doh, then light it up. The container protects hands from flying sparks, preventing burns. Courtesy of reader Peggy Gilchrist of Zanesville, Ohio 26 of 42 Lollipops as Cocktail Stirrers Monica Buck Give cocktails extra pop with lollies in complementary colors subbed in for stirrers. 27 of 42 Contact Lens Case as a Medicine Holder Frances Janisch When traveling, eliminate clunky bottles of nonprescription meds from your purse by popping the pills into a contact-lens case. Note: This is not a childproof method for storing your pills. Don't try this if you have small children who rummage through your purse. 28 of 42 Eyeglasses Case as a Manicure Kit Kirsten Strecker An unused glasses case makes a convenient storage spot for nail files, clippers and other manicure essentials while on the go. 29 of 42 Cardboard Tube as Extension Cord Wrangler Monica Buck The cardboard tube from a spent roll of toilet paper is a wonderfully simple tool for keeping extension cords tangle-free. 30 of 42 Cardboard Roll as a Hair Clip Holder Monica Buck Stop searching high and low for hair clips and elastics: Store them tidily on an empty TP tube. 31 of 42 Cassette Case as a Cord Holder Mark Lund Have an old cassette case hanging around? (Oh, you know you do.) Coil iPod earphones and tuck them in to keep wires uncrossed. 32 of 42 Bobby Pins as Ironing Helpers Lucas Allen Slide bobby pins onto a hem to hold pleats in place as you iron them. 33 of 42 Hair Straightener as a Clothing Iron Kana Okada That straightening iron works on more than rambunctious hair: Use it to press between buttons where a regular iron won’t fit. 34 of 42 Cork as a Door Quieter Gemma Comas and James Merrell Silence cabinet doors that slam with cork sliced into thin disks and glued onto the inside corners. 35 of 42 Hair Elastic as a Flower Arranger Gemma Comas and James Merrell A clear hair elastic binds blooms together for a better arrangement in a wide-mouth vase. Stretch the elastic around the stems, then let the flowers fall naturally. 36 of 42 Turkey Baster as a Water-Changer Amy Wilson Change dirty water in a flower vase by using a turkey baster to suction up the liquid without disturbing your arrangement. Add fresh water directly from the tap. 37 of 42 Plastic Bags as a Plant Pot Filler Kana Okada Cut down on the amount of potting soil needed by crumpling plastic bags to fill the bottom of a deep pot (just be sure that you don’t cover the drainage hole if there is one). 38 of 42 Plastic Straw as a Stem Extender Mark Lund Boost a meager bouquet to new heights by inserting short flower stems into plastic straws to give them greater stature. 39 of 42 Plastic Bags as Knee Pads Kana Okada Gardeners can go easy on their jeans with homemade knee pads. A couple of plastic bags tied on can keep your pants grime-free and protect your knees. 40 of 42 Magnet as a Tweezer Holder Sang An Stop tweezers from going astray by installing a magnet on the inside of the medicine cabinet, and they will always be at your fingertips. 41 of 42 Matchbox as a Sewing Kit Mark Lund Tuck a few needles, pins, and thread into a matchbox for an instant sewing kit. 42 of 42 Cooking Spray as Snow-Shovel Assistant Getty Images Liberally apply cooking spray to both sides of a plastic or metal shovel before clearing away snow, and ice will slide right off instead of building up. Fresh Ways to Reuse Things in Your Kitchen Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit